Chapter 12: Vacation

I woke up in a bed. I didn't know what had happened or where I was, and I noticed with some trepidation my armor was off. Waiting a moment and determining there wasn't anyone in the bed with me, I slowly sat up, regretting it almost instantly as white-hot pain laced through my skull. I groaned and fell back. It felt as though I was hung over, but I knew that was impossible since intoxication was impossibly according to the game's coding.

Slowly this time, I sat myself against the headboard to the bed and opened my eyes. The room was dark, but I caught sight of a distinctly female figure in front of me, standing with arms crossed facing me. I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and sat straight, adopting a severe expression on my face as I looked into the face of the one across from me. "I suppose I should thank you for taking care of me." I said, my voice a weak rasp. "And I suppose I should apologize for being an ass."

The figure sighed before coming to my side and hugging me firmly. I tensed and tried to prevent myself from pushing them away, not entirely succeeding. The figure pulled away with a hurt expression on her face, and I cursed at myself. "Sorry. I just don't know if I can anymore," I broke down. "It's been two days but I don't know if I can feel happy again. I killed three people yesterday and enjoyed every minute of it." Tears filled my eyes and I covered my face.

I felt a hand come onto my shoulder, followed by a head. "It's alright. You're still my husband. I still love you, and I will continue to love you for the rest of our days. Even the best fall down sometimes." I was struck by her words, and I hesitated only a moment before grabbing her around the middle and clutching her tightly, sobbing loudly. "Shhhh, shhh," she soothed, "I'm here now. You can let go. You can let go." And so I did.

Some time later, I woke up again. It seemed I had fallen asleep after my breakdown, but I couldn't bring myself to be too upset about losing my composure. I moved to open my eyes and saw my wife was already awake. "Good afternoon?" I said, half-asking what time it was. She chuckled and kissed me. We lay there like that for a while, and after a few minutes I spoke again. "I can't survive without you. Please don't leave me again."

"I won't, Charlie. But I still don't understand why you assaulted the commander like that. Can you tell me?" I weighed my options. I needed to tell her, but I needed to make sure that she knew to stay quiet. Rika let me think while I deliberated.

"I can," I finally said, "But you cannot under any circumstances share this information with another. Do you understand?" Rika nodded and I continued, "Commander Heathcliff's real name is Akihiko Kayaba." My wife's eyes widened in shock and after a moment her face filled with rage. I recoiled in fear.

"Oh, it's not you, it's that bastard. How could he use the Knights like that?!" I shook my head. As the rage passed, I saw shock replace it on her face. "Shit, I pushed you away when you attacked him. Shit, Charlie, I'm so sorry. I should've known from your words beforehand there was a good reason, but you were so brutal I didn't know how to react and-" I cut her off with a kiss.

"It's alright, Rika. I understand, and I forgive you. You couldn't have known. Just know that if you do that again, I don't know what will happen to my mind. Somehow I don't think I'll recover from another loss like that. When the memories I had repressed came back, I –" I shuddered. "It just hurt so much." I pulled her close to me for comfort. "Kirito and Asuna are together now, by the way. I wouldn't be surprised if they've married by now and moved to that shack on the 22nd floor Kirito's been waiting to buy."

"Oh, they are? We'll have to visit them as soon as we can! But first, I've got two days of activity to catch up on with a certain man in my life," Rika smirked at me naughtily, throwing a leg over my waist. I smiled broadly and laid back into the pillows on our bed, sighing. I don't know how I lived without the love of my wife. Every part of the love of my wife.

The next day (two days is a lot to catch up on when you don't fatigue as easily), Rika and I made our way to the 22nd floor hand in hand. My wife desired to simply go through the teleporter, but I decided to show off my ability instead, grabbing her and teleporting directly in front of their cabin. "What was that?" Rika asked in wonder.

"I managed to wrangle some concessions from Kayaba in exchange for my 'silence'," I said in reply, glancing at her in the corner of my eye. I knocked on the door with a genuine smile on my lips; the first in a long time. I stepped back for a moment and ran my finger across Rika's lips before locking mine with hers. She saw my idea and wrapped her legs around my waist, hopping up to me and pulling back slightly to meet my eyes.

I vaguely heard the door to the cabin open, and pushed my way inside, still kissing Rika. After we had made it into the cabin, I maneuvered us into a sitting position on a nearby armchair. My wife detached herself from me and curled herself in my lap. I finally laid eyes on the other inhabitants of the room. Kirito and Asuna were red-faced and in pajamas on the loveseat across from us, Kirito's arm around his wife's shoulder. "Well, good morning, lovebirds!" I exclaimed joyfully. "Have a good afternoon yesterday? And the evening before?" They blushed.

Kirito recovered first and smirked at me. "You were right, Rok. That was amazing." I let loose a deep belly laugh at his statement, especially when Asuna slapped him with a deeper blush on her face. "You're alright now, I take it?" I tried to calm myself down, eventually succeeding.

"Oddly enough, I have the pair of you to thank for that. Asuna, who do you think disposed of the guards the day before yesterday? I followed you in and saw everything that happened. I could have helped, but I wasn't exactly right in the head at the time. When you two kissed, it unlocked the blocks I had placed in my mind, revealing to me my emotion." They stared at me and waited for me to finish. "It hurt like hell, and I managed to teleport to my wife. I wasn't paying attention to where I was, it hurt so much. The next thing I remember I woke up to this one staring down at me." I jostled Rika a bit.

Asuna and Kirito looked at each other and nodded. It was kind of scary how they could communicate silently. It made me think about how Rika and I must look to the eyes of others. "Do you have an explanation for your actions the day of the duel?" they asked in tandem. I grimaced; I couldn't tell them. Thinking fast, I responded.

"If I told you the truth, it could easily result in the death of every person in this room. Liz and I are safe because of our silence, but a secret is best kept between two ears, especially one of such magnitude. I promise you this, though; you'll likely figure it out before the end of the game. That's the best I can do under the circumstances." I could tell they weren't happy about it, but they had no choice but to listen to me for now. I even had Rika's support.

Putting the matter behind us, the group of us socialized for a bit. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Rika and I had to depart for the night. Bidding the other couple goodbye and promising to visit again soon, I teleported the pair of us back to our bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. My wife fell on top of me and I sighed in contentment. "I missed you, Rika," I said, pulling her close. She mumbled a response before promptly falling asleep in the crook of my shoulder. I soon followed, a smile on my face.

We made it through most of the week in a haze of activity. My wife took a week off from her shop and I took a week off from the front lines. I knew that left very little heavy support at the front, but I couldn't bring myself to care. My love was more important than my job, and I relished every second I spent with my wife. We met with Klein and Agil once or twice, and little Silica even came into the shop once to see us. She was a cute one, that was for sure.

At the end of the week, I received a message from Kirito. Rika received one from Asuna at nearly the same time. It was a summons, an urgent one, and we looked at each other before taking the others' hand and teleporting to the cabin in the woods. When we touched down onto the ground, we made our way inside to find the startling sight of a young child no more than 5 or 6 years old playing with Kirito. My gaze snapped to Asuna and I raised an eyebrow. "You two work fast." She blushed and slugged my upper arm.

"It wasn't us. We found her in the woods around here. She doesn't have any memory of anything that happened before this. We were going to take her to the Town of Beginnings to see if she recognized anyone down there and wanted to know if you would like to come with us." Dead serious now, I nodded.

"Does she have a name?" I asked.

"She says her name is Yui. She's also started calling us Mama and Papa." I smiled warmly. That was nice. "Yui, come over here and meet mama's best friends!" The young girl skipped over to us. "This here is Sarok," Asuna continued, pointing to me, "And this is Lisbeth."

"S-rok," Yui said, stumbling over the exact pronunciation of my name. "Lis-bith." Puzzled, Yui put a finger to her chin before brightening. "Uncle! Auntie!" I smiled broadly at her enthusiasm, turning to Liz and pulling her into my side.

"I guess our family just grew a bit bigger," I muttered in her ear. She smiled and kissed me on the cheek, laying her head on my shoulder. I spoke up, this time to Asuna. "When are we leaving?"

"Hmmmm. This afternoon, maybe?" she inquired to Kirito. He considered it for a moment before nodding. "Maybe right after lunch. Would the two of you like to stay for the morning?" Asuna looked hopeful, and glancing down at Yui I saw possibly the cutest face of desire for me to stay I had ever seen. I sighed and pulled Rika into my side.

"Alright then, I suppose we could drop our obviously busy schedule to help you guys," I smirked. "Sorry, Liz, guess we'll have to continue our usual activities some other time. Our friends here seem to need us." My wife giggled at my faux-arrogance and I grinned. "Come on then, when's lunch? We can't wait forever."

"Why, you…" Asuna trailed off and slugged me in the arm, storming into the kitchen to start cooking. I rolled my shoulder and rubbed my arm playfully.

"Damn, that took off a few points of health. Strong one, isn't she, Kirito?" I sat down next to him on the sofa and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Come on over here, Yui. Time to meet your extended family!" Yui laughed and skipped over to us, climbing into Kirito's lap with a heart-stopping smile that radiated warmth. "Now as your uncle, it's my job to corrupt you to my horrific American ideals. Where would you like to start?"

Kirito shrugged off my arm and glared at me, but his gaze held no heat. I idly noticed that Rika had sat down across from us with a soft smile on her face, as if she was looking forward to something in particular. I caught her eye for a moment and nodded imperceptibly, causing her to grin broadly at me. "Alright, so no corruption today. How do you like living with Kirito and Asuna, Yui? Are they treating you well? Haven't gone on any battles yet?" Yui giggled and I smiled.

Kirito was the one who responded to my question though. "We haven't really gone anywhere since we found her. We decided to message the two of you before we did anything about her. Thanks for your input and your help, by the way. It's appreciated."

I scoffed. "No need to thank me. It's what any good brother would do, after all." Kirito's eyes widened and I nodded. "Yes, that's right, I consider you to be a brother. I wasn't going to say anything, but then Yui here started calling me Uncle and I just had to mention it." I patted the girl on the head and turned to my wife. She was beaming at me.

Just then, Asuna came in bearing a platter of sandwiches. "Time for eats, guys and girls! Wait… what's happened now? You're all silent and smiling, and Sarok's not even trying to be humorous!"

"Oh, nothing, Asuna. I was just telling Kirito here that I consider him my brother, my nearest and dearest friend in this here reality. He's certainly close enough to me. Hey, say, that makes you some convoluted relation of sister to me, doesn't it Asuna?"

Asuna carefully put down her tray on the table and with shaking hands approached me. Worried about my safety, I quietly retreated further into the cushions in the couch, lamenting I wasn't wearing my armor. All of a sudden, though, Asuna attacked, tackling me to the floor in a hug.

"Wh –Wha – Whuh – What are you doing?" I asked, incredulous. "You never hug me. Was it something I said?" Asuna pulled back and kissed me on the cheek, causing me to blush brilliantly. I turned to Rika and found her laughing hysterically. Sighing, I cautiously returned Asuna's embrace, waiting a few moments before tapping her on the shoulder. "Uh, Asuna, don't people normally hug while standing?" Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, and I found myself reeling from a slap to the face. I groaned. "What was that for, woman?!"

Asuna stood up and faced away from me until I had adjusted my clothes and followed her up. While I stretched, she surprised me with another hug, nearly toppling me again. "Seriously, what's up? You can tell me, sis. I'll keep your secrets." I was dead serious, and my voice reflected such.

"I've never had a brother before…" she started, and my eyes widened. "You're perfect for the position. I know you said you only came to Japan for university, but would you be willing to stay longer?" I smiled at my wife over her shoulder.

"Even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to leave now, sis. I have family here now, and a beautiful wife too. I wouldn't dare leave you guys." Asuna buried her face in my shoulder and I could feel her smiling. Soon, Liz had joined our embrace and Kirito stood slightly to the side with one arm on Asuna's shoulder, the other holding Yui to his chest. I waited a moment before speaking again. "Well, as much as this is an emotionally charged moment, I really would like to eat." Punctuating my statement, my stomach rumbled. The group shook with laughter and we took our seats around the table in various plush furniture.

It took us nearly an hour to eat our meal. The tone of our conversation was bright and hopeful as we told stories of times past. Halfway in, I sat back and reflected over the two years I had spent in the game. Over the time, I had fallen in love, married, met two new siblings, grew as a warrior and as a person, came to accept my madness, and learned what it was like to be human. It was a marvelous feeling knowing how much I accomplished.

Soon enough, we had to leave though, and the five of us headed to the teleporter in the nearest town. "Ready, guys?" I asked. "It's been a while since we were last here. I daresay the last time was at the start of the game nearly two years ago." Solemnly, they nodded, and we called out the coordinates of our destination, departing for the first floor.

It took a minute to transition between the two floors, but when we got there we stepped into what appeared to be an empty city. We knew it wasn't true; after all, it was said nearly a thousand non-combatants and children were said to live in the Town of Beginnings to await the end of the game. Oddly, when we alighted in the town's center, Yui cried out and a massive wave of static filled our vision. I collapsed to the ground in shock from the glitch and turned to see if my companions were alright. Once I had been assured everyone was alright, we carefully stood and got our bearings, looking for any sign of life. Puzzled, we made our way through the deserted streets. Asuna and Liz were asking Yui if she recognized anything while Kirito and I took point.

"Something's not right, here, Kirito," I stated softly, "I'm getting some bad vibes from this place." My brother nodded and we heightened our senses. Unfortunately the point was moot as rude yelling assaulted our ears. Steel crawled into my eyes when I heard the scream of a little girl, and I broke into a full-on sprint towards the origin of the disturbance, transporting myself through buildings when necessary.

When I stopped moving, I was at the entrance to an alleyway. Inside, there was a squad of Army soldiers crowding around a group of three children while another squad accosted their teacher. Their female teacher. I snarled and approached the group next to the woman first, assuming my family would take care of the children. When I reached the group, my legs were trailing wisps of dark fog while my eyes brimmed with barely concealed anger.

"What seems to be the problem here, boys?" I asked menacingly, cracking my knuckles and neck. The men stepped back and looked me up and down. A few made to step away from me, but their leader stepped forward challengingly instead.

"This wench won't pay her taxes, boy. Speaking of, have you paid yours? The Army needs money, and you look like a rich one. How much you gonna pay?" He took a step towards me and I blinked before simply thrusting my palm forward. The man flew straight back and slammed into the wall across from us, cracking the stone. I laughed and turned to the remainder of his squad.

"Well, any of you fools going to try what he did, or are you going to leave peacefully?" I paused while some of the man's men peeled his body from the wall. "I swear on my honor as a warrior on the front lines you won't come to harm as long as you leave this place. Of course, this is under the stipulation that you never return, but I digress." The squad made no move to leave and I sighed. "GO!" I yelled. Fearfully, the men retreated with as much dignity as they could muster.

Shaking my head, I turned to the woman. "You alright, ma'am? They didn't hurt you at all, did they?" The woman nodded, in shock, and I pulled her towards the rest of my group gently. "Come on then, where are you from? We'll walk you home. These are your kids, right?" Absently, she made a sound of acceptance. I tried to hand her off to my wife, but she clung to me like a second skin.

"Alright, suit yourself. Lead on to your home then." We followed the woman and her wards back to a church near the fringe of the city. Making our way inside, I stopped a moment to gaze sadly upon the sight that greeted me when I walked in. There were easily a hundred children from ages seven to twelve sitting and having lunch, all the while socializing.

I turned to Liz and frowned. "It's so sad, isn't it? So young, and stuck in this awful place." I sought my wife's hand while the woman made her way to a table in the back, leading us through the raucous crowd. When we reached the back, we sat in a circle while NPCs put bowls of what we assumed to be a soup of some kind in front of us. Liz neglected her chair in favor of my lap, and I contentedly rested my head along her arm as we waited for the woman to speak.

We didn't wait long. "My name is Sasha, and I run this orphanage. Thank you for saving us. I wasn't sure how I would have survived if you hadn't shown up." There was a pause as the newly-identified Sasha laid eyes on Yui. "Who's this? I didn't know there were children this young any higher than this floor." Kirito and Asuna hesitated and I rubbed my face along my wife's arm happily, not unlike a cat.

Liz slapped me lightly as our friends seemed to have a silent debate on who would speak first. After a moment, it seemed Kirito lost the duel, and he sighed. "Truthfully, we were hoping you would be able to tell us. We found her wandering in a forest on the 22nd floor and came down here to see if she had somehow wandered off, but we haven't seen anyone. What's up?" Sasha's face darkened and I stopped harassing Liz.

"The Army," Sasha spat, her face twisted into a snarl, "About a month ago they started getting obnoxious and oppressive. No one wants to be caught on the streets alone by them, so no one ever leaves. It's terrible the things that that Kibaou player gets away with in his mighty position nowadays." I frowned; it had been a long time indeed since I had heard that name, and I wasn't too pleased at the venom that came with it.

"Figures he'd be the one behind this. I ought to do something about him after we finish up with Yui here, shouldn't I guys?" I said, earning nods from my friends. "Anyway, Sasha, do you know if there are any other orphanages around here that would recognize Yui?" The bespectacled woman shook her head sadly.

"This is the only orphanage in the town, sorry. I can ask around if you would like, but it will be slow." We sighed. It seemed we wouldn't be getting answers today. However, just as we were about to leave, a knock sounded on the door to the church.

"I'll get it!" Kirito called. I cursed that he had beaten me to it, but I currently had a fleshy weight on my lap, so I couldn't exactly get up from where I was. My friend practically skipped to the door and threw it open, only to stop still for a moment and slam it shut again.

"Who was it, Kirito?" Asuna asked.

"Oh, it was no one. Just some peddler or such." Kirito looked dodgy and I narrowed my eyes, calmly depositing my wife in the seat next to me and shoving my friend out of the way. I opened the door to a fist poised to knock again. Unfortunately for me, the fist was mid-movement and it couldn't seem to stop itself from descending into my face.

"Oh, fuck," I exclaimed softly. "That was a thing." The fist's owner, having realized by now what had happened, stepped back and put their hands over their mouth. I lifted my head to get a clearer view of who had accidentally hit me and was shocked to see a woman in army uniform standing in front of me, looking like she had just been crying. Kirito stepped forward and made to antagonize her but I stopped him with a hand. "It's alright. She's safe. You there," I said, nodding towards the unknown, "Come on in and have a seat. We have soup for you."

I guided the woman in and sat her in my now vacated seat, opting to stand against a nearby wall and observe. "You've been crying," I noted softly. "What's your name? What's wrong, more importantly?" The woman's eyes widened at my observation and her gaze snapped to mine before quickly looking away after noticing the darkness around my figure. She looked down at her hands, which were curled in her lap.

"M – My name is Yulier. I am – was – a leading officer in the Army. I'm here because I heard that some front liners were down here and I need some help. It's Kibaou – he's taken our leader, Tinker, and left him under the Black Iron Castle. Please help me get him back! Please…" she trailed off and Liz pulled her into a hug, looking at me pleadingly. I nodded simply, as if it weren't even a question.

"Of course we'll help, Yulier. Can you tell us any more about Tinker and Kibaou?" Asuna asked. I met Kirito's eyes solemnly. We were all hoping never to hear the name Kibaou again, but it seemed that wasn't to be. I nodded slightly, acquiescing to Kirito's silent request to deal with Kibaou once this was over.

"A – After the 74th floor was cleared, Kibaou made a power play in the Army. We had discovered very early on that as more and more floors were cleared in the upper levels, a mysterious dungeon started to open up underneath our HQ, the Black Iron Castle. Kibaou had started disappearing more frequently and for longer into the dungeon. Tinker and I tried to stop him by demoting him and stripping him of power, but he – he outthought Tinker and led him into the depths. It's been three days and I still haven't heard from him. Kibaou's taken control of all our forces in Tinker's absence. That's why the Army's been so oppressive recently."

Yulier paused for a few moments and took a deep breath before continuing. "Please help me rescue Tinker. He's all I have in this world, and I don't know how to handle life without him. I'm not a high enough level to go down there by myself, that's why I came to you guys. I can take you to the dungeon pretty easily, but there's still Kibaou to worry about. He might try to stop us. Can you do anything about that?" I thought for a moment and hummed.

"I might be able to cook something up. Where's his room in the Castle? I'm going to pay him a bit of a visit to… discourage him from being such a fucking dick from now on… Making fun of other players is one thing, but by condemning someone in cold blood he crossed the one line I promised myself and Liz I would never go near." My friends looked at me with respect for my comments, and I looked at them the same way. "Take Kirito, Asuna, and Liz to the entrance. I'll meet you there. Yui, are you alright with staying here?"

Yui pondered only a moment before shaking her head. "Mama, Papa, Uncle, I wanna go with you! I can't stay here all alone, please let me come, please!" The girl stared into Asuna's eyes and I grimaced, seeing Asuna's face soften in defeat.

"Fine then, Yui, but stay with your Auntie Liz, alright? We don't want anything to happen to you while we're fighting." I turned to Yulier.

"His room's on the highest floor of the castle, and he's most secure while there. How the hell are you going to get up there without either him escaping or a guard setting off the alarm?" I grinned devilishly.

"You let me worry about that. You, on the other hand, need to get moving if you want to catch up to Tinker. I'll teleport to Kirito when I'm finished intimidating your bastard of a general." Without another word, I turned and left, waiting until I was out of sight before donning my full armor and triggering the invisibility. "Teleport! Kibaou!" I commanded the system, not bothering with a menu.

When I rematerialized, I found myself with Kibaou in his office. Oddly enough, little Silica was there as well, looking glum and wearing a suspicious-looking white dress. I turned my gaze upon the corner and narrowed my eyes when I saw a chained and caged Pina. I fought the urge to growl in my throat when Kibaou opened his mouth to speak.

"I see you've come to a decision, my sweet," the man smirked, lecherously. "Your hand in marriage if you ever want to have your precious dragon back. We both win, after all. You get a powerful and handsome husband, while I get that treasure you've been hiding from me and a cute, submissive, young – " At this he licked his lips, " – girl to play with." Silica shuddered in revulsion as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Unconsciously, I started shaking in rage, my anger coalescing into invisible wisps of black around me. I felt myself lift off the ground as my wings involuntarily materialized. Noticing this, I took a deep breath and controlled myself, letting the appendages sink back into my skin and instead concentrating my aura about the front of my body. I silently made myself visible once more, coming into existence right behind Silica.

Upon catching sight of me, Kibaou fell out of his seat in terror and turned white. I laughed underneath my helmet, drinking in the fear he displayed. "I see you recognize me, Kibaou. Yes, I know who you are. You're an Army General, you're the most powerful man below Floor 20. Hell, I think your name ha even reached the front lines!" The man cautiously stood, regaining his composure as he misinterpreted my words.

"T – Then you're here to pledge your allegiance to the cause?" he asked, becoming excited. I snorted, and his face fell. I circled around his desk and pushed him against the wall with one hand.

"Of course not, you fucking piece of SHIT! Why the FUCK would I join someone as vile and corrupt as you?! You're a fucking murderer, and all you've succeeded in doing is Pissing. Me. OFF!" I screamed into his face. "Now, I was only going to come intimidate you, but then I saw you subjugating and exploiting Silica here, who I consider to be a LITTLE SISTER, to marry your perverted ass! So you know what? Now I'll not only intimidate you; I'll humiliate you, and I'll destroy everything you stand for. You'll only wish you were dead after I finish with you." I sighed, throwing him to the ground and wrenching off my helmet.

Kibaou's eyes widened further when he saw my face, and I snarled. "Yes, yes, it's me, the Demon, the Spider, the Assassin, the Devil. I know what they call me, fool. I'm the one who started those rumors. If it protects my family, I'm willing to even be feared if it means they're safe." I spat on him and turned to Silica, smiling softly. "Hey Sili, it's me, Rok. I've come to save you sis, but first I wanted to make sure you're alright before I deal with this moron."

Rather unexpectedly, the girl jumped over the desk and into my arms, sobbing all the way. "I'm so glad you're here, Big Brother. I'm so glad you came to save me. Will you take me home after this?" she looked into my eyes with a hopeful but teary gaze, and I smiled.

"Of course I will, sis. You want to live with my wife and I once this all blows over?" she nodded frantically and I gestured for her to stand over with Pina until I was done with Kibaou, who had somewhat regained his bearings and was attempting to set off an alarm. "Come on, you," I snarled, pulling him upright roughly and grabbing Silica and Pina. "You're coming with us for the time being." With that, I teleported to the 74th floor dungeon, leaving Kibaou in the safe area before the boss room and teleporting out again.

When I reappeared with Silica in tow, we were at Agil's shop. I walked in and noticed Agil bartering with a customer, but shooed the player away with a glare. "Hey, what the hell was that for, Rok? I was doing business!" I simply handed over Silica and Pina.

"My sister here was about to be unlawfully wed to Kibaou, who wanted to take advantage of her. I need you to take care of her until I get back. Could you do that, Agil? I really need someone to help, and after I finish with the pervert I'll be heading to the first floor again for some unfinished business of mine." Agil nodded and I stepped back preparing to leave.

"Sarok, one thing before you go." Agil stopped me and I looked back at him. "Take this with you." He tossed me an item and I caught it, staring inquisitively. "I invented it. It's a communicator. There are two in there, and once you give to other half to someone you'll always be able to see if they're safe. Just tap the top button to initiate the call and the bottom one to end it." I smiled at my friend.

"Thanks, Agil. It's much appreciated. And Sili? I'll be right back, just as soon as I deal with the pervert, kay?" The girl nodded and I turned away from them, my face twisting into a severe frown as I teleported to the area I had left Kibaou. When I got there, the fool attempted to tackle me, but I just stepped out of the way and slammed the palm of my hand into his back, forcing him into the ground just outside of the area.

I wondered for a moment if it would be easier to just leave him in the dungeon, but reconsidered after only a moment when I remembered my boundaries. Grumbling, I took hold of the coward's upper arm and threw him behind me into a wall. He slid to the ground in a heap with tears in his eyes and I opened my mouth to speak. "I should kill you where you stand," I said, my eyes dancing with barely restrained fury.

"P – P – P – Please spare me, sir! I – I can give you a – anything you desire! Money, girls, power!" I snorted and hoisted him by the lapels of his shirt to stare him in the eyes. A minute passed and I let go of him, laughing madly into the air.

"Y – You have nothing I could ever desire, Kibaou," I said, my laughter calming in the face of what I had to do. "Just so you know, if you step out of line and into my sights once more, you'll die. I let you off once already for hurting Kirito, but now – now you've used up that second chance. When I return you to your office, you will step down and submit yourself to prison time until I return with Tinker. Yes, I know about your 'secret' training grounds. Do you understand me?" Kibaou nodded glumly and I grinned broadly. "Good. Grab my arm." Once he had, I transported us out of the dungeon in a flurry of polygons.

Unfortunately for the fool with me, I had lied. Instead of returning him to his office, I took him straight to a prison cell and dropped him before heading off to meet Yulier and my family. It was time for a good old-fashioned rescue operation.